Pas de Deux 2023

For the second year in a row, I attended the Pas de Deux photography conference. When I went in 2022, I felt overwhelmed and like I didn’t know anything. Which is unfortunate since I have taken some great photos in the past. I was excited for this year’s conference though. I bought a new (to me) camera with a better shutter speed and larger aperture range. Right off the bat this made me feel more successful. I also chose to meet with people that I thought would really help me improve my skills. Overall, it was a much more positive experience than last year.

The conference was set up very differently this year than last year. There were more opportunities to work with a lot of dancers in a given space. The dancers had a mentor as well as the photographers. There were still guided photo walks, which were so helpful! I learned how to use natural light to my benefit while actually taking photos. The people I chose to go on photo walks with really helped to guide the photographers.

I woke up at 4 am the first two days to make it to sunrise shoots. That was so neat. I really had to learn my camera settings and constantly adjust to the changing light. The dancers were truly talented too. I tried to pack my schedule with as much photo taking as possible. I came out with over 1,000 photos. And that was after I had culled at the end of each session. I will post pictures below of my favorites from the early morning shoots.

This year also felt different because my hubby was able to join me. It also helped that it was gorgeous weather in Chicago while we were there. We were able to enjoy a lovely Friday. I went to the early morning shoot then came back to the hotel to get him. We went to the Natural History Museum, which was amazing. However, he went to MSI in the afternoon, and I wished I could’ve seen it. They have an entire submarine in the museum. But I went to take some awesome photos of dancers. We had some nice dinners together. We at Lou Malnati’s pizza, went to a German restaurant that was very close to what you can get in Germany. We tried out a brewery that was really good. We tried a place on the riverwalk. I would like to go back sometime. The hubby even took photos of me on the last morning that we were there.

Overall, this was a positive experience and I want to try to go back next year. I hope you enjoy the photos that I included. They really are amazing, and the dancers are so talented!